“What did you do then?” Sherri asked.
“Since I’d already checked the frames I’d bought at the auction and come up empty, I headed back to Connecticut. I figured I’d been barking up the wrong tree.”
“When did you tell Kelsey about the map?”
He had the good grace to look sheepish. “Not right away. It wasn’t until he insisted on going over every detail of my trip to Maine that it came out. He was fit to be tied. He told me to get hold of that paper, whatever it was, preferably without letting on that it might be valuable. He didn’t want to have to pay through the nose for it.”
“So your job was on the line?” Sherri asked.
“I doubt it. And given that you folks thought you had a treasure map, I was pretty sure the paper hadn’t been tossed out in the trash. The only trouble was, by the time I got back here, Ms. Ruskin had already left for Canada.”
“You followed pretty fast,” Sherri said.
He shrugged. “It didn’t take me long to find out she was heading for Truro. I didn’t even have to ask questions, just listen while I had breakfast at the coffee shop. Word was that the ladies were on a buying trip but that they were also going to do some research into the family that owned that house. It made sense that they’d take the map with them.”
“So you followed her to Nova Scotia to steal it?” Sherri’s voice was dangerously quiet.
Lucas ignored the question. “I went hunting for a kilt maker in Truro, since that was the only lead I had. I staked out the shop until they showed up. Then I followed them.” He held up a hand, palm out. “Not a crime, Chief Campbell.”
Liss was starting to believe him. He’d ducked out of the way so she wouldn’t get a good look at him and then he’d trailed them to Cape Breton. It made sense, except for one thing. “Why didn’t you approach me? If you’d asked to look at the map, especially if you’d explained why, I’d probably have shown it to you.”
He laughed. “I don’t think so.”
“So you just assumed you’d have to steal it?”
“My plan was to find an opportunity to take a gander at the back of that map. One good look would have told me whether or not to offer to buy it from you.”
A glance at Sherri told Liss that her friend had serious doubts about this part of his story.
“I agree it’s unlikely that you killed Orson Bailey,” Sherri said, “but that doesn’t mean you didn’t commit a crime.”
Lucas shifted his steady blue gaze her way. “What, exactly, are you accusing me of now?”
“Someone broke into Ms. Ruskin’s motel room in Antigonish. Were you hoping to find the map?”
“You stole my iPad,” Liss put in, “and my aunt’s brooch.”
Even more relaxed now, Aaron Lucas leaned back in the chair and stretched his legs out beneath the table. “Nope. Wasn’t me.”
Liss hastily shifted her feet.
“Are you denying you were in Antigonish?” Sherri asked.
Moving slowly to avoid alarming anyone, Lucas turned off the recorder and set it back on the table. “This whole thing is making me look bad, but I’ll tell you God’s honest truth. I admit that I went to the motel Ms. Ruskin and her aunt were staying at. I meant to take a look around while they were busy at the Highland Games. But if I’d broken into that room, no one would ever have known I was there.”
“Someone burgled the place,” Sherri said, “and not just that one room, either.”
“Exactly. Someone burgled the place. It wasn’t me. By the time I got there, the door to Ms. Ruskin’s room was standing open and the thieves had been and gone. I took a quick look around for the map. Then I got out of there.”
“I’m right here! Talk to me.” Liss didn’t try to hide her annoyance.
“You have a question?”
“Darned right I do. You just admitted you’re good at sneaking into places. It was you in the Emporium and in my house, wasn’t it? You were still searching for the map.”
Lucas looked amused again, and declined to respond to the accusation.
“You see, Mr. Lucas, a crime was committed, after all,” Sherri said, “and those two break-ins took place in my jurisdiction. He’s not going to confess to them,” she added in an aside to Liss. “If he did, I’d have to arrest him on the spot.”
Aaron Lucas didn’t seem overly concerned by the possibility. After a moment, he shifted position again and leaned across the table until he was nearly nose-to-nose with Sherri. “Here’s the thing. I already know the copies Ms. Ruskin made of that map show only one side. And I watched her go to her bank the other day. I saw her pay a visit to the vault where they keep the safe-deposit boxes. It didn’t take much of a leap to figure out that those scribbles I’m interested in are currently out of my reach.”
“So why haven’t you offered me big bucks to take a peek at them?” Liss asked.
Turning his head a fraction of an inch so that his gaze fell on her, he chuckled. “Maybe I just like making Maurice Kelsey run around in circles.” With that, he backed off and stood, sending Sherri a mock salute. “If that’s all, Chief Campbell, I’m thinking I’d like to leave your pretty little town. I’ll be taking Kelsey back to Connecticut with me.”
Sherri watched in silence as he left the conference room.
“Why don’t you stop him?” Liss hissed at her.
“I haven’t got grounds to arrest him. Not on any charge.”
“Couldn’t you warn him not to leave town?”
“And just why would he listen? That order has never had more legal force than a suggestion, no matter how many times someone says it on TV.”
Liss slumped forward, resting her head in her hands, and tried to think if there was anything she could do to stop their prime suspect from leaving Moosetookalook. She could get the map and show it to him, but then he’d see that the squiggles were too faint to read and leave anyway. That might be best in the long run, but it would leave her with unanswered questions. She hated unanswered questions.
“Did you buy his story?” Sherri asked.
“I don’t know. And we forgot to ask him if he dug those holes.”
“Do you think he was responsible for the thefts in Antigonish?”
“I’m beginning to doubt it. I did believe him when he said he could have searched our motel room without leaving behind any trace that he’d been there. He had no reason to make a mess or steal my iPad, let alone break into other rooms. Maybe it was just a random burglary, after all.”
But she didn’t like coincidences.
Haunted by a vague sense of stones left unturned, Liss followed Sherri back to the lobby. She waved to Joe as they passed the check-in desk. Outside, the rain had stopped and the sun glistened on the wet grass. While they waited for the parking valet to bring the cruiser around, Liss studied the view to the southeast. A faint rainbow had formed . . . ending right over the Chadwick property. Liss’s smile was sour. At this point, she had serious doubts that anyone was going to find a pot of gold.
She turned toward Sherri, meaning to point out the many-colored arc, but at that moment Benny Beamer came out of the hotel and passed through her line of vision. Pleased recognition flared on Benny’s face when she caught sight of Liss, but an instant later, when she spotted Sherri’s uniform, it was replaced by a look of panic.
Chapter Thirteen
Liss was nearly running by the time she skidded around the corner into the short hallway that opened into the vestibule in front of the main dining room. The only people in sight were a couple of tourists, casually attired in shorts and T-shirts, and the luncheon hostess who was assuring them that they didn’t have to dress up to enjoy fine dining at The Spruces. She probably wished they would, since knobby knees and hairy white legs weren’t a particularly appetizing sight for the other patrons, but Joe Ruskin had long ago decided that his luxury hotel would be welcoming to everyone. While snootier places offered to loan a tie, and even a jacket, to a gentleman who came into the dining room in more c
asual attire, Joe limited his dress code to requiring a shirt and shoes.
“Drat,” Liss muttered. Two directions to choose from and she’d picked the wrong one.
She retraced her steps to the lobby and trotted across it to the grand staircase that led up to the mezzanine. There was no sign of anyone on the steps but some group or other was using the meeting rooms above. She could see men and women in business suits and hear the dull roar typical of a large group of people all talking at once.
That left the corridor that led into the west wing of the hotel. Without much hope of success, Liss made her way along it, stopping just outside each door to peer in. There was no sign of her quarry in the business center, the gift shop, the game room, the library, or the music room. As a last resort, Liss entered the lounge. At this hour, there were few patrons. The hotel employee behind the bar gave her a friendly wave, recognizing her as the owner’s daughter-in-law. She was about to ask him if he’d seen a small blond woman when Sherri caught up with her.
“What on earth are you up to?” she asked. “I thought you were right behind me until the kid brought the cruiser around and I realized you’d vanished.”
“Apparently, I’m up to running around like a chicken with its head cut off.”
“Lovely image!”
Distracted by the windows that looked out over the indoor pool, Liss said, “My grandmother used to say that.”
She peered down into the sparkling blue water but did not see anyone she recognized. Her nose wrinkled. Even at this distance and with solid glass in the way, she could smell the chlorine. It was not one of her favorite scents.
“Want to tell me what you’re looking for?” Sherri asked.
“Who.”
“Okay—who are you looking for?”
“Benny Beamer. She stepped out of the hotel while we were standing there waiting for the car. I would have spoken to her, but the minute she saw you, she turned tail and fled back into the hotel.”
“Why?”
“I assume because she knew you’re a cop.”
“So, naturally, you had to follow her.”
“Easy on the sarcasm. You’d have done the same thing.” Together, they walked back toward the lobby.
“Probably. So where do you think she went?”
“No idea. She was moving too fast for me to catch up to her.”
Emerging from the corridor, Sherri waved a hand toward the elevators to their left. “Maybe she just forgot something and went back to her room for it.”
“She may have gone to her room, but it was to get away from us. She was trying to give me the slip and she definitely didn’t want you to catch sight of her. She’s hiding something, Sherri.”
Liss endured her friend’s long-suffering look. Sherri’s curiosity was as great as her own. As she expected, they didn’t leave right away. Instead, Sherri crossed to the check-in desk and asked Joe Ruskin for Benny’s room number.
“You want me to call up there and see if she’s in?” he asked after he’d supplied it.
“We’d rather surprise her,” Sherri said.
A few minutes later, Liss and Sherri stood in front of the open door of a double room on the third floor. A housekeeping cart blocked the entrance. When Liss started to move it aside, Sherri caught her arm.
“Uh-uh. I can see from here that she’s not in there.”
“But—”
“You are not going to go poking around in her belongings. And I am definitely not setting foot inside.”
“Maybe she’s got illegal drugs in there.”
“Don’t sound so hopeful. Even if she does, if I can’t see them from the doorway, I can’t go in. Give it up, Liss.”
Attracted by their voices, the housekeeper came out of the room’s bath.
“Hello, Rhonda,” Liss said.
“Something I can do for you?” Rhonda sent them a suspicious look. She was a worn-down woman in her fifties who had the triple misfortune to marry a total loser and give birth to two equally worthless sons.
“The woman staying in this room,” Liss said. “Have you seen her in the last few minutes? We need to talk to her.”
Rhonda’s gaze shifted from Liss to Sherri. She was no rocket scientist, but neither was she stupid. “What’d she do?”
“Nothing.” Sherri snapped out the word, surprising Liss and making Rhonda jump.
“Have you seen her or not?” Liss asked.
Rhonda chewed thoughtfully on a wad of gum. The distinctive scent of Juicy Fruit drifted Liss’s way. “She was in the room when I got here but she was on her way out. Seems like a nice enough lady. Good tipper. Why’re you bothering her?”
“We’re not bothering her,” Sherri said through clenched teeth.
“We just need to speak with her.” Liss forced herself to smile. “Any idea where she was going when she left?”
“Like she’d tell me!” Rhonda pulled fresh towels off the cart and returned to the bathroom.
Sherri grabbed Liss’s arm and tugged her away from the open door. “Enough,” she whispered. “Let’s not give Rhonda any more gossip to embroider.”
Liss allowed herself to be led away, but only under protest. “Local gossip isn’t likely to reach the ears of a guest at The Spruces. Besides, Rhonda could probably use some excitement in her life.”
“A lot you know.”
Liss stopped and stared at her friend. “What’s going on? Don’t tell me you’re investigating Rhonda Snipes for something.”
“I don’t intend to tell you anything.” Sherri kept moving, heading for the elevator.
Liss felt her jaw drop. It must be serious if Sherri wasn’t willing to share. She wasn’t particularly worried about Rhonda, but family connections were complex in a tiny place like Moosetookalook. Liss’s cousin Boxer was also Rhonda’s nephew by marriage. Her husband and Boxer’s mother were siblings. Boxer—no, she remembered, he wanted to be called Ed now—was fond of his aunt Rhonda, even though he didn’t much care for his no-good uncle or his ne’erdo-well cousins.
Back outside, Sherri’s cruiser was waiting for them. Liss slid into the passenger seat and buckled up. She and Sherri didn’t speak as they left the hotel property and headed for town. It took only a few minutes before the town square was visible dead ahead, but instead of continuing to the municipal building, Sherri flipped on her turn signal and swung into the parking lot at the bank.
“I’ve been mulling over what Aaron Lucas told us,” she said. “I think it’s time we took a good hard look at what’s written on the back of that map.”
* * *
The Moosetookalook branch of Carrabassett County Savings Bank provided a tiny room with a wide shelf and two wooden chairs for the convenience of those who wished to add items to or remove them from a safe-deposit box. It was a tight squeeze as Liss and Sherri bent to examine the back of the map.
“See?” Liss said. “Illegible.”
Sherry leaned closer. Then she picked up the paper and held it up to the light. “It might have been something once.”
“A squiggle.”
“We need a magnifying glass.”
“Thank you, Sherlock Holmes. And, by the way, you’re just lucky I didn’t remember to take the key back out of my wallet after the last time I was here. Ordinarily, it would be at home, cleverly hidden in my jewelry box.”
Sherri ignored the aside. “Maybe a microscope would be more appropriate. Widdowson was a scientist, right?”
“This is not a spy movie.” For once, Liss was the one trying to be practical.
“I don’t know, Liss,” Sherri said. “There could be something to this ‘secret agent’ thing. I have to admit that the term industrial espionage doesn’t have quite the same ring, but you know I’ve always gotten a kick out of James Bond films, not to mention having a special soft spot for Bruce Willis in RED.”
“Trust me, Lester Widdowson doesn’t measure up to anyone’s idea of a superspy.”
“But he did leave behind an intri
guing puzzle. What you think is just a squiggle could very well be important.”
“Fine. I’ll get the bank to make a copy of this side of the map.”
Sherri shook her head. “We need to take the original to an expert. There must be some way to clear up what’s written here.”
Liss gave the page a doubtful look. “It looks pretty darned illegible to me.”
“It could be in code.”
“Or it could be the place Widdowson tested his pen to make sure it had ink in it before he drew the map on the other side.”
Sherri conceded the point, but she stood firm. “It would be irresponsible to overlook any possibility and this is definitely a clue.”
They took the map with them when they left, returning with it to Sherri’s office. She made copies of the back of the page and then, while Liss listened in, she made a few phone calls to friends with more knowledge of forensics than either of them possessed. It didn’t take long to come up with someone with the expertise to do exactly what Sherri wanted.
“Well?” she asked. “Your map. Your call. He has to see the original. I’ll take it to him personally.”
Liss handed it over. She wanted to know too.
* * *
It was several hours later when Margaret appeared at the foot of the stairs that led from her apartment into Moosetookalook Scottish Emporium. She made a beeline toward the front door.
“I’m off to the library,” she called out as she passed the sales counter.
Liss looked up from her computer screen. “Let me know if you find anything.”
She assumed her aunt meant to continue her research into the Chadwick family, since Liss had asked her to see if she could pin down a relationship between Benedicta Beamer and Hazel Benedict, wife of Norman Chadwick of Nova Scotia. It was a long shot, but it was worth looking into. Besides, Margaret seemed to enjoy climbing family trees, even if they weren’t her own.
Better her than me, Liss thought. Never in a million years would she have imagined her dynamo of an aunt turning into a genealogy nerd.
X Marks the Scot Page 17
